Los Angeles Lakers star player LeBron James turned 40 in December 2024. However, his age did not impact his performance on the court. He continued to show stellar efforts for the Lakers during the 2024-25 NBA season.

Star point guard for the NBA's New York Knicks, the head coach of the WNBA's Las Vegas Aces, Becky Hammon, declared on an ESPN panel, "If your best player is small, you’re not winning. John Stockton,

The last time an American-born player walked away with the top honor was James Harden in 2018. The run of international players winning MVP -- Gilgeous-Alexander is from Canada -- speaks to the expanding global reach of the NBA and the increased number of talent outside of the United States.